DT1 or DT2

[MUDDYCRICK]

I have a 24" duplex frame coming soon and I need help deciding on a pack. I'm torn between the DT1 and dt2. I live in Nebraska so most of my hunts are day hunts, but occasionally have to pack out muleys a couple miles on certain hunts. I do plan on hunting elk this year so I do have an extended day hunt in the near future. Also, not sure if it matters to your responses, but I'll have a guide lid and grab it 2 as well on the setup.

So my question to you all is DT1 or DT2?

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I generally opt for the larger bag as a do all bag.
Having said that, I use a Tahr as a day bag and it will carry a whitetail out easily. So if it's day hunting you will be doing you don't really have to worry about capacity with either of those bags.

 

[mrbillbrown]

I was faced with the same decision and went with the DT2. The new model with larger side and back pockets pushed me over the edge with the DT2. They are much larger than the "older" design and give plenty of usable space once the main bag is stuffed full. (A small problem with earlier designed DT bags). As a Midwestern whitetail guy that plans to day hunt whitetails, train with sand year round, and make 1-2 trips to chase elk the DT2 is more than enough for me. Adding a guide lid (1200ci), 2 medium belt pouches on the lower sides (1300cis), and a grab it should take care of me for any length of trip I could take. My gear isn't super lightweight or small and with food for 10days, and a 3L bladder or two fits in the DT2 with room to spare. I can't see a need for any more space. At 41, I plan to carry day gear while chasing elk and have plenty of room for the first load of meat to the truck. After the meat is hauled out in a few trips the last trip should be my camp and a set of antlers/head strapped to the outside of the pack. If I were younger or more super human I might buy a larger bag and try to carry camp and a 100# load of meat. Realistically, it's not gonna happen so why have a larger than necessary bag?

Just my thoughts on my style and what works for me. Take with a grain of salt ;^)

 

[mfolch]

Last season I added a DT2 to my equipment because the DT1 was so big that I hardly ever wanted to use it. In my experience, for anything less than 7-day hunts in the late fall and winter, when one brings extra insulation, a large tent, etc., the DT1 is huge. I hated carrying around all that extra fabric, and would bring an extra pack for day/spike hunting. Even so, the DT2 proved to be more than adequate for scouting, early season hunting trips, and backpacking any time of year, so I ended up attaching a kuiu ultra 1800 bag, which weighs almost nothing and was on sale, to my bikini frame to have an even more streamlined pack for day hunting and hunting from spike camp. For what you're describing, a Tahr with a couple pockets or a DT2 sounds perfect, a DT1 overkill.

 

[MUDDYCRICK]

Last season I added a DT2 to my equipment because the DT1 was so big that I hardly ever wanted to use it. In my experience, for anything less than 7-day hunts in the late fall and winter, when one brings extra insulation, a large tent, etc., the DT1 is huge. I hated carrying around all that extra fabric, and would bring an extra pack for day/spike hunting. Even so, the DT2 proved to be more than adequate for scouting, early season hunting trips, and backpacking any time of year, so I ended up attaching a kuiu ultra 1800 bag, which weighs almost nothing and was on sale, to my bikini frame to have an even more streamlined pack for day hunting and hunting from spike camp. For what you're describing, a Tahr with a couple pockets or a DT2 sounds perfect, a DT1 overkill.

I thought about the Tahr due to its more streamliNE look, but by the time you add a couple pouches and a lid your cost is more than the DT's. How hard is it to access the side pockets and front pouches when the DT2 is compressed?

 

[mrbillbrown]

Front pockets are always easily accessible. Feel just like a pair of belt pouches hanging off any pack. The side pockets can be tucked under and "hidden away" or left slightly puffed out for easy accessibility. Just depends on how you want to run them.

 

[Mark]

I run the DT1. Not once have I said to my self that I wish I had a smaller bag. I place items that I don't need often inside the main bag and things that I need quickly are in the guide lid and pockets.

Sure, it's a little large for a day hunt but can be managed easily when compressed. And when you get an animal on the ground, you're going to appreciate all of that extra room inside the bag.

 

[MUDDYCRICK]

Can someone text me a picture of a DT1 compressed in day mode? 308-380-9079

 

[michaelc10]

I have a t1 and I bet you cant even tell the diffrence in day mode they will both compress very small

 

[michaelc10]

Out hunting in the west ive never wanted a smaller pack even went larger this year and bought an emr2

 

[Shrek]

The difference compressed is negligible but the extra volume is there when you need it. Bag strechers are nowhere to be found come dark thirty with a pile of meat to pack out. Stop obsessing and put the DT1 on the frame. I promise it will feel no different on your back compressed but you're covered for more situations.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Remember I'm very inexperienced at backcountry hunting and have yet to carry a load of elk meat off the mtn.

The meat Baggie is described to hold 100# of meat. I can fit 2 kifaru meat bags (filled with random items) inside my DT2. It's a nice snug fit but fits with my day hunting gear placed in all the outside pockets. Are you guys really filling 2-100# meat Baggie loads, placing them in your bag, and carrying 200# worth of meat off the mtn in a single trip? I routinely train with 40-75# loads in preparation for next Sept. It's a pretty stiff load but definitely doable. I occasionally place 100-125# inside my bag for that hopeful meat load trip out and I'm pretty sure I don't want much more than 100-125# in a max single trip load.

I mean no disrespect to anyone here but it seems odd to me that everyone says get the biggest bag possible but are you actually carrying your bags at capacity with 200+# in them? Help me understand because my thinking (and inexperience) could be holding me back and I don't want to misinform others.

Thanks, Bill

 

[Mark]

Bill,

I don't own the meat bags, and I don't own a DT2. I run the DT1 and use BOMB bags to pack meat. The attached photo is somewhere around 100-125lbs of boned out elk in a DT1. Some of my gear is in the lid and in the pockets on the first trip out. I won't BS you, the load on my back sucked and the only time I enjoyed the walk out was when I dropped the pack on the ground and unloaded it. Then I went back and carried another load and it sucked more than the first. I can't imagine 200lbs on my back and I won't ever know how that would feel!

One reason I prefer the larger bag is so I can carry all of my day gear and a deer or antelope sized animal in one trip if I'm alone. Here's a pic of an entire antelope quartered in the bag and the cape strapped to the outside of my DT1. It was a short 2 miles back to the truck over relatively easy terrain. I'm sure others have been able to get all of that out in a DT2 n one trip. I really don't know. The extra space in the DT1 comes in handy for what I want in a bag.

Also, with 7-10 days worth of camp and food, the DT1 is pretty full. Again, I'm sure the DT2 will hold plenty of gear for an extended hunt. Plenty of people own them and have nothing but good to say about that bag. Personally, I prefer a little "wiggle room" in the bag which is why I chose the DT1. I suppose it boils down to personal preference.

 

[mrbillbrown]

Mark, thanks for the rapid reply and personal experience. I truly appreciate it.

I've been blessed to own or handle the full gamut of kifaru bags over the last 18-24months and gone full circle from the cargo panel (zero bag) to the emrII ("largest bag") and back to the dt2 for my needs. You're right, a little wiggle room should always be budgeted in. Just making sure I'm not missing the mark completely and need to plan for much more than I should/could/would handle. I'm guessing a guy buys a bag for what gear he's got, how he plans to use it, and a little extra room for the unexpected.

Thanks again Mark.

 

[Mark]

You're welcome. It truly is based on personal needs and expected usage.

For what it's worth, I also own a DT3 bag that still has a place in the collection. I've carried out an entire boned out mule deer and day gear in that bag. I had a handful of items lashed to the outside, but I got everything off the mountain in one shot. Looked a little "Beverly Hillbillies" but I only had to make one trip!

 

[Beastmode]

I will agree with what others say, for the most part. A bigger bag can always compress down. I personally own 2 packs. I have a dt3 that I use for simple backpacking trips that don't involve the extra gear a hunting trip requires. I also use this bag for short scouting trips (under 3 days)or day hunts. If I am on a dedicated hunt out of my pack my emr2 comes with me. Both packs serve a great purpose and if I had to choose one it would be the emr2 or the dt1, which is a great pack and in some ways better than the emr2 in my mind.

I don't think you could go wrong with the dt1 over the 2. For a 5 ounce penalty you get an extra 2000 ci of space. That is a ton of space! Get the dt1 and don't look back.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I have packed out an entire mule deer incl. skull with day gear in a T1 with a quarter of the pack closed off.
There is a lot of room in there.